The classic rock sound of alternative rockers Live hit Perth on the last show of their second run of Australian dates, bringing with them The Tea Party on the support slot. It was also a much welcome return of singer Ed Kowalczyk who came back to the band in 2016, whose voice resonated with the fans in only the way he could.
Veteran rockers The Tea Party opened the show and suffice to say, many rocked up early to catch the Canadian outfit. Regular visitors to Australia over the years has almost given the band an honoury Aussie attachment, many people fans of the band as much as Live. Their show tonight was a mixed bag of classic numbers, meandering jam sessions and a couple of cover songs including the Doors. There were certainly some head bopping moments to be fair and sonically it was on point, sharp if not a little dilluted and off the cuff. Jeff Martin was certainly a draw card and the legendary singer had some theatrical moments including a twin guitar showcase (thats apparently heavy) and a crack at some violin on guitar. Still maybe not the greatest show that they have brought to Australia but they can be forgiven for throwing in a miss every once in a while.
Live on the other hand came out with guns blazing, opening with “All Over You” much to the approval of the crowd which mostly filled the venue to a decent size for a Tuesday night. Ed Kowalczyk sounded fantastic, keeping his movement on stage to a healthy balanced act but without losing any power in his well maintained voice. From here it was a splattering of the back catalogue peppered with hit songs, one after the other.
“Throwing Copper” may be the album the band are best known for but there are some real gems outside of that iconic release that can’t be ignored and Live showcased that brilliantly. “Dolphin’s Cry” was an obvious highlight as was “Lakini’s Juice”, the latters heavier tone welcomed more by the younger audience who were surprisingly outnumbered by a substantially older fanbase.
Interestingly tucked in the corner of the stage was a second drumkit but for the life of me couldn’t figure out what the reason for it to be added was as an extension of the grooves coming from Chad Gracey.
Aside from that little tidbit it was a fairly flawless show, added with a big encore that featured acoustic based numbers including “Heaven”, “Turn My Head” and a haunting rendition of the late Chris Cornell’s “I Am The Highway” and rounded out by the much anticipated “Lightning Crashes”. A fine show by the now longtime rockers, we look forward to their return!
PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Tammie Molotov – Molotov Enterprises & Photography
